Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1887-04-23
IN THE mANcos CANYON.
Relies OF People who Have Faded from
tho Earth--Whnt . Prospector Saw.


Relies OF People who Have Faded from
tho Earth-what Prospector Saw.
Tho largest cliff house is worthy of a
better description than | can give, but
will try TO describe IL In my own way. IL
Is situate in Bear canyon $50 named by
prospectors), about three miles from the
Mancos canyon, on the west side. From
the bottom of the canyon II requires about
one and one-hnlf miles walk from point
Immediately below 1t TO reach IL. In
climbing the cliffs on the route ! took
found footsteps cut In the rock, and think
the people who lived here must have gone
up in the same way that did. When
arrived found perpendicular cliff about
forty feet high, which climbed, by the
aid of rope which threw on TO small
cedar, at the risk of breaking my neck,
but was well repaid for my troubles by
finding building at least $50 feet in
length, six stories in height in the front,
and from four TO six rooms deep into the
cliff. This seems to have been chiefs
house, or perhaps Pan Electric director,
or perhaps q Doodle man. The rooms were
finely plastered with gypsum, which had
beautiful pink cast. In one room were
stone lasts, rudely shaped, but after the
fashion Of the shoemaker's last of to-day.
Another room had arrow heads, stone
axes and hatchets. There are also two
weaving rooms. In one there Is rude
kind of loom, in the other shuttles and
other implements for weaving; but us
do not understand weaving as well rs the
ancicnts, | cannot describe them. found
specimens of cloth resembling coarse linen
At one end I found chicken house with
roosts for chickens. also found jugs Of
pottery made to resemble our white
mountain quail, and think perhaps that
the mountain quail was at one time the
domestic fowl of these people.
There is also 6 room in which yenison
has been smoked. Every buAling has a
round water tank, from ten to fifteen feet
across, and the larger buildings rs many
as three. The tanks vary in depth from
| five to ten feet The kitchens of these
| buildings seem to have been built weaker
than any other part, as they have nearly
all tumbled down, while the other parts
of the buildings are strong. There arc
bushels of broken pottery in the parts
fallen down, so naturally supposed them
| to be kitchens. never found n building
| in which the kitchen was standing, but
do not doubt but there are some of them
left standing II one could be found that
had not fallen, i think that there would
be great deal Of pottery found. In every
ruin can be found corn cobs and husks
squash rinds, bone knives, and curious
| articles that / could not make out &c,
what use they were intended. There are
one or more granaries connected witt
| every building They have doors ant
windows in which slabs Of slate are fitted
to such nicely that mouse could never
| get into them. There are also cellars il
which / found large jars covered will
smooth, fat stones. What they contained
can only surmise.
The buildings were heated with rud,
kind Of furnace, pGssageway built o
stone and cement inside running the full
length of the lower floor, as suppose
for carrying heat to different apartments
The walls in some places are covered will
paintings in which red colors predominant
Pictures of men, women, animals ant
birds.-San Miguel tColoj Cor. Denye
Tribune.